TRIP REPORT Feb 17-19, 2010

[Amommy21]

First, this trip was a little different for us. We usually stay on property and prefer to stay at The Grand. But it was a last minute trip and we were a little more frugal this time. We stayed at the Fairfield just across from the main entrance. It was the worst Marriott property I have ever stayed at. I admit I am a bit of a hotel snob. It was clean. But it feels like families of kids pack 10 to a room in there every week all year. Not really my style.

Also we like to make use of the private entrance at The Grand and the Monorail stop at the end of Downtown Disney, which makes staying on property even better. We also usually eat at Blue Bayou every day for lunch, but just ended up skipping out on our reservations for day 2 and 3 as we were busy doing other things.

Also having never stayed off property I will say that you really do loose a little of the magic as you leave the park, walk though the transportation pick up and out onto a busy street with beggars, cars, etc. Much less charming than walking through Downtown Disney.

And because we didn't "feel" close to Downtown Disney even though we basically were staying at the entrance we didn't go there on our arrival or departure day like usual. So we really didn't do any shopping other than check out the Lego store on the way to dinner. We have a Lego store in our hometown... but the little one is a big fan and wanted to make sure to see any displays they had here.

Here is a little trip report including things including a list of the attractions we were able to do each day. Most were walk on or fast pass. I noted the few long waits that we did have.

Maybe I will post a few photos another day?

Day1 – Wednesday - Disneyland

Sunny, warm, but not hot. We had virtually no wait times and most often were walking right onto rides. We waited the longest for the Storybook Boats (20 min) and at the end of the day had done all the things we wanted to, but our Space Mountain FP weren’t until 9:10, so at 8:30 we waited 30-40 min for the ride then walked right back on with our FP before having dinner and heading back to our room. We were able to get in 25-30 attractions depending on what you count. I haven’t written a trip report like this up since we did WDW since DL is such a regular thing for us as we go annually. But it was fun to see all that we accomplish in one day.



9am Start - Bananas and Granola Bars for Breakfast

Mad Hatter and Crew Photo
Dumbo
Tea Cups
Small World
Storybook Boats (20 min)
Mr. Toad
Peter Pan
Pinocchio
Skipped Snow White
(Emergency restroom stop!)

Blue Bayou for Lunch 12:30
Pirates
Pirate Band and shops
Haunted Mansion
Shooting Range
Big Thunder Mountain x2
Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (DS & I)
Splash Mountain (DH)
Pooh Characters Photo Op
Pooh's Corner Treats

Tree House
Indiana Jones (DS first time!)
Jungle Cruise
Dole Whip

Shopped down Main Street trying to find a sweatshirt in DS’s size

Train to Tomorrowland
Autopia
Buzz Lightyear
Star Tours x2
Space Mountain x2
(40 min wait, back through with fast pass)

Dinner at the Plaza Inn 9pm
Walk back to the room

 

[Amommy21]

Day 2 – Thursday – California Adventure

We always take this day a little slower as this park feels more like EPCOT or the MGM (or whatever they call it now) in WDW. The entire main street of Hollywood is blocked off and really takes away from the experience as it leaves narrow corridors to walk down and between the WOC construction and some other midway stuff being redone it felt a little odd. But we had a good time.

And Aladdin wasn’t showing this day, so we had to plan to come back Friday for that, which really messed up our last day plans.

We had to wait almost an hour for that new Toy Story Mania or whatever it was called. I can't believe how many people but in line in front of us to catch up with their "group, family, etc." We also had to wait 30 minutes for Mulholland Madness, not sure that was worth it. We usually skip a lot of that midway type stuff in CA because we didn’t think the theming or anything was special enough. We’d rather do Soarin’ (one of our fav’s) again. But as you can see we only made it one once this trip.


Then we went DL to upgrade our GAD vouchers for annual passes. My husband ended up upgrading our 3-day park hoppers and give a day vouchers to get annual passes because we are coming back in April and our annual trip next Jan or Feb. So we might just have to come out one more time since it will be free! Well, plus plane tickets and hotel !LOL!

We went on Star Tours (which seemed like the umpteenth time, I am not sure I even got them all in the list… but it was such a short wait and the little one kept asking). Then we rode the Blue Monorail and sat with the drive to Storytellers for dinner.

By then we were done for the day. And DS was asleep so we actually took a cab from The Grand to our hotel to get home quickly. Worth every penny.

It was a little more overcast, but not cold.
The park feels VERY under construction!


Breakfast from MC D's before we left for the parks arriving about 10 am
Visa Photo with Pluto
Monsters Inc.
Muppets 3D
Playhouse Disney
Turtle Talk
Tower of Terror
Cars Photo Op
Soarin’ Over California
Storytellers for lunch 1:00
Think about Big Rapids – Too wet
Brother Bear Playground
Brother Bear Photo Op
Mulholland Madness 20 min
Firehouse Playground
Toy Story Midway 60 min
California Screamin'
Carousel
Tortilla Factory
Bugs Life
Flick's Flyers
Frances' Lady Bug Boogie
Tower of Terror
Walk to DL and shop through CA mainstreet shops, pick up Free Disney Visa Photo
Celebration parade crowd
Buy Annual Passes
Star Tours
Blue Monorail with engineer
Lego Store at Downtown Disney
Storytellers 9pm
Cab ride from The Grand to room

 

[Amommy21]

Day 3 – Friday – Park Hop

A little cloudy and we wanted to wear our sweatshirts with all the fast rides and water features on this day.

We missed the preferred seating for Aladdin, it filled up fast and ended up way up in the balcony. We were first row, so it wasn’t so bad for US, but having always sat in that preferred seating I was shocked how easily my mind wandered away from the show. That upper seating is terrible. Most of the rows had bars in front of them that I am sure blocked kids view. I would rather skip it that sit up there again.

It was more crowded and as it was Friday you could tell when all the locals got off school and work. That was a bit frustrating. Tomorrowland turned into a teen hang out.

But we still had a great time. It did rain, but right when we were sitting down for dinner and fireworks... so we just hung out under our umbrella table and enjoyed our dinner and were excited they didn't cancel the show! The little one was rejuvenated and begged to do a few more tomorrowland rides.

On our way out we shopped our way out of the parks to end up at Lincoln and the highlight of the day, Mickey and Minnie, together, just hanging out before Lincoln with just a few of us. I think it was to keep them out of the rain. The two were so cute together and we should have video taped the whole thing. I am not sure if they do that often, but they did have a bit of a routine down. The little one had fun playing with them and watching them when they showed the Walt Video.

So, our final day ended up 16 hours!


Toon Town - Morning Madness 8am
(Traditionally DH and DS do this while I sleep in a bit and meet up with them later.)
Go Coaster, Roger Rabbit
Donald's Boat, Goofy's House
Minnie and Mickey's House
Finding Nemo
Star Tours
Visa Photo with Chipmunks

Muppets 3D 11:30
Aladdin 12:10

Rancho Zocalo for lunch 2:00
Pirates
Haunted Mansion
Big Thunder Mountain x2
Churro / Mickey Bar
Jungle Cruise
Indiana Jones
Pirates
Train from New Orleans to Tomorrowland
Autopia
Saw schoolmate and chatted
Space Mountain 40 min
Star Tours
Dinner at the Plaza Inn 8:30
Fireworks in the rain 9:25
Star Tours
Astro Orbiters
Shop Main Street
Magic Shop
Mickey & Minnie visit / photo op
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
Walk back to room 11:30

 

[momtoccc]

Wow! You did alot! How old is your little one? Wondering if my 6yo will be able to go for a full day...

Thanks.

 

[lilsprstr]

Wow! You did alot! How old is your little one? Wondering if my 6yo will be able to go for a full day...

Thanks.

Obviously each kid is unique, but the first time we went my kids we 2 and 4 and they had no problem going all day for 3 days straight.

 

[Amommy21]

My little one is 8 years old. He has gone every year since he was 2 and has always walked, never had a stroller and gone for full days. We just go at his pace, eat a snack in line, go by his cue taking breaks, etc. We try to make sure to get one nice sit down meal in to cool off and rest and also try to keep him hydrated and avoid too many treats so he doesn't get a sick tummy.

When he was two we went for his first time. It was October and we arrived about 9 or 10 and he was good until 8pm at which time he wanted to be picked up, just as we were trying to find a place for the fireworks and he fell asleep.

This trip he did fall asleep on day two at dinner, thus the cab ride from The Grand back to our hotel (depressing LOL!)

My philosopohy if the kids are so tired they need a stroller or a break than the adults must be too... so I go by their cue.

 

[Amommy21]

So we went back today, Tuesday for Day 4! DH was working and we decided to just pop in since we had upgraded to those Annual Passes.

We didn't arrive until about 11. And I just let DS lead. Good weather, no rain.... but it was cool in the shade. DL had short hours today, closing at 8pm. DS never seemed interested in going over to CA.

I just let him lead. The park was pretty empty and the only waits were for the big rides like Space Mountain and Indiana Jones. Most rides you could just walk right onto and DS had a lot of fun just walking onto things like Star Tours or Pirates over and over. He must be growing up because it was the "thrill rides" he wanted to do over and over likek Big Thunder Railroad, Space Mountain and Indiana Jones. We also went on the Jungle cruise about 4 times and had some really great skkippers. Sometimes I just want to take over the microphone to make sure they get all the good jokes in, but we had one that even had new jokes I hadn't heard.

We also ate treats and just watched people for a while and that was fun.

My only complaint was that we ended up stuck on the Train. We were trying to go from New Orleans to Tomorrowland and thought we had plently of time to do a few rides over there... but by tthe time we waited for them to removed a train for the loop, then the parade to cross the tracks we were on that thing FOREVER... and then decided we better get lined up to take the Monorail to DTD for dinner. And it was a good thing because we were the last group. We did get to ride in the very back and it was a nice way to say goodbye. We had dinner at Storytellers when we finally got there about 8:30 and afterwards DS fell asleep in the lobby waiting for DH to pick us up!

 

[Amommy21]

Oh, a few tips about taking very little kids to DL or even WDW.

We never have a travel day be a park day, it's just too much to walk through airports and the park the same day. If we get in town early we do DTD or other things to get us excited about the next day.

When we get back to the room it's quiet time. No TV and video games, etc. We figure they get so much stimulation in the parks they don't need that. Especially when we were at WDW for a week when DS was 2 1/2, we knew he would need to decompress and rest. So we kept the lights low and had a few small quiet toys for him to play with . We didn't turn on TV until he was asleep. DH did let him watch cartoons one morning at WDW that I slept in and it was a swimming and rest day.

I always recommend people take in some food and snacks. Water, juice boxes, crackers and cheese, apples and bananas, granola bars, etc. And we just feed them a little bit at a time. At WDW most of the caar services will stop at a grocery store for you and there is one really close to DL if you have a car. I don't let DS have a lot of junk and I think that avoids sick tummies.

I don't care for strollers. I think they are a annoying. I just let DS walk and sometimes when DS was little DH carried him on his shoulders or something. I think it's easier to have a small backpack with a sweatshirt and a few snacks and supplies than lug a stroller around full of too many things we won't need anyway. That said, we did use a small umbrellla stoller at WDW when we went to Epcot and when we went to DTD late at night after he was asleep for DH and I to hang out. We also bought a rental off someone turning one in at Disney before when DS had fallen asleep at night and we wanted to hang out a little longer.

Dress them in layers. Even on a nice warm sunny days kids can feel cold in the morning, in the shade, with all the water rides, etc. Also a sunburned kid will get chilled easy.

 

[momtoccc]

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions.. We did WDW when dd was almost 4 and had a great time. We did have a break every afternoon. This time it is just the 2 of us (DH has to work). I'm planning a break on the first day since we are starting early for MM (7am) and I want to see the fireworks at 9:15. So.. we will go back to the hotel after lunch for a few hours to rest. I'm going to play it by ear for the other days.

 

[QueenDoOver]

Then we went DL to upgrade our GAD vouchers for annual passes. My husband ended up upgrading our 3-day park hoppers and give a day vouchers to get annual passes because we are coming back in April and our annual trip next Jan or Feb. So we might just have to come out one more time since it will be free! Well, plus plane tickets and hotel !LOL!

Can you clarify this? Were you able to combine the value of your park hopper and the value of the GAD voucher to put towards the cost of the annual pass?

 

[Amommy21]

Can you clarify this? Were you able to combine the value of your park hopper and the value of the GAD voucher to put towards the cost of the annual pass?

Yes they put our park hoppers together with our GAD park voucher (your technically exchanged your print out for the voucher first and they use it like money) towards the annual pass.... so the annual passes were about $78 each (we had paid $149 for our 3 day park hoppers)

When we went to WDW we also planned to have nap time or at least quiet time at the hotel, epsecially on days we park hopped, but we just never ended up doing that. We even bought things on our grocery store trip to have small lunches and make sandwiches back at the hotel. But we were always having too much fun in the parks to go back. Because of this next time we plan to have 3 down days spread out in our trip that we plan to rest, swim, etc.

Really with kids a grocery stop can be the best thing you do. To have some fresh fruit, string cheese, water, juice boxes, etc. on hand really helps. I have a friend who even packed a loaf of bread and peanut butter in a shoe box in her suitcase!

I don't mind paying for the better dining options at Disney.. We are a bit of food snobs. So it's not jsut about the $, but about actually eating whole good foods, especially while traveling and being out in the sun all day... not the time to give the kids sick tummies with junk!

 

[raftislander]

Yes they put our park hoppers together with our GAD park voucher (your technically exchanged your print out for the voucher first and they use it like money) towards the annual pass.... so the annual passes were about $78 each (we had paid $149 for our 3 day park hoppers)

That is great to hear- I never thought that you could combine two "tickets" toward an upgrade to an annual pass. I am heading down in April, but with the "everyone pays kids prices" deal going on, it doesn't make $ sense to upgrade a GAD voucher to a multi-day pass, because you cant get the ticket deal at teh gate. But if I can buy the multi day pass then combine it with the GAD voucher -it might be time to go AP !

 

[Golfing Goofy]

My little one is 8 years old. He has gone every year since he was 2 and has always walked, never had a stroller and gone for full days. We just go at his pace, eat a snack in line, go by his cue taking breaks, etc. We try to make sure to get one nice sit down meal in to cool off and rest and also try to keep him hydrated and avoid too many treats so he doesn't get a sick tummy.

This is similar to our way of doing DLR when the kids were little. I can't tell you how great it was for us, especially the adults, to sit down and have a nice meal!!

You really did get a lot done! Very impressive.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I love reading everyone's reports. Enjoy your upcoming re-visits, lol....

 

[Amommy21]

This is similar to our way of doing DLR when the kids were little. I can't tell you how great it was for us, especially the adults, to sit down and have a nice meal!!

You really did get a lot done! Very impressive.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I love reading everyone's reports. Enjoy your upcoming re-visits, lol....

Exactly but we also aren't afraid to put a little one on our shoulders to move fast or make a plan to will give us the best advantage for lines and waiting times. I think it's a combo of making a plan, but being flexible and having the knoweldge to change your plan. DH is like ridemax in his head because he has read the books over the years and because he just keeps track of opening times, special days, etc.

As as much as you caan feel like your whole trip is ruined if you miss something.. well, you just have to let that go. When I went back alone with DS this week Indiana Jones was closed for quite a while. I didn't even think it would open back up and I had to make sure to help the little one be ok with that and move onto other things.

 

[kkmcan]

WOW! YOu are park commandos for sure. I always wished I could do it that way but usually DH and I get tired and plain worn out by 2pm and need a park break. Whether the kids need it or not, we head out to rest/nap, sometimes swim and just hang out where its quiet in our room.

We come back refreshed and excited again. I kind of lose that excitement when I"m worn out and overstimulated.

A couple of times we tried to skip the break and we only made it to 6pm. Must be getting old!

 

[Golfing Goofy]

As as much as you caan feel like your whole trip is ruined if you miss something.. well, you just have to let that go. When I went back alone with DS this week Indiana Jones was closed for quite a while. I didn't even think it would open back up and I had to make sure to help the little one be ok with that and move onto other things.

We had the same thing experience. We were there for three days and Indiana Jones always seemed like such a long wait....so we foolishly waited until the last day to tackle the line. Well, wouldn't you know it, while we were in line that last day it broke down and was closed for the rest of the day. The kids were soooo sad. But, they learned an important lesson. Now, we always do our top favorites the first day, just in case.

We also learned that about the fireworks. No matter how tired we are, we try to do the fireworks the first night.

You are right about being flexible.

 

[Amommy21]

WOW! YOu are park commandos for sure. I always wished I could do it that way but usually DH and I get tired and plain worn out by 2pm and need a park break. Whether the kids need it or not, we head out to rest/nap, sometimes swim and just hang out where its quiet in our room.

We come back refreshed and excited again. I kind of lose that excitement when I"m worn out and overstimulated.

A couple of times we tried to skip the break and we only made it to 6pm. Must be getting old!

I think our meal ends up being just enough break for us. We usually schedule Blue Bayou for about 1:30 or 2 and to go an cool off, have someone bring us a drink, etc is enough to recharge us. Also I admit we only have one child. I think if you had a couple todders or a toddler and a baby you might want to go back to the room. We talk about it, we just never do.

And we always think we aren't goingg to stay until way late, but we do end up staying late because we are having so much fun.